Video: For the first time, Obama says publicly that Qaddafi must go

posted at 5:37 pm on March 3, 2011 by Allahpundit

He’s already said this semi-publicly, but now, almost two weeks after the fighting broke out and with most Americans in Libya safely out of harm’s way, I guess he feels it’s safe to be bold-ish. Few specifics are offered beyond humanitarian aid and flights to bring displaced Egyptians stranded in Tunisia back home — a smart act of goodwill as Egypt forges a new foreign policy. Otherwise, the plan seems to be for the west to stay out of it unless and until there’s a large-scale massacre in the offing (which British special forces may already be working to avert). That’s the safe play politically: 55 percent approve of his handling, or rather non-handling, of the Middle East uprisings and 48 percent approve of his non-handling of Libya specifically (versus just 26 percent who disapprove). Americans don’t want another Middle East adventure, I think, even if it means letting Qaddafi bomb people occasionally (or repeatedly). Only if the mustard gas comes out or some other Tiananmen-type slaughter unfolds will Obama be in trouble for not acting, with the fickle public turning on him instantly to demand an explanation for why he didn’t do something to stop it. That looks unlikely right now — Qaddafi’s oil money appears to be drying up, his mercenaries aren’t reclaiming territory from the rebels, and his big hope appears to rest on a peace plan submitted by, ahem, Hugo Chavez — but Tripoli is still in his grasp and being terrorized. The One’s taking a real gamble here by sitting back. Good luck to him on it, sincerely.

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Comments

Your theory just raises one question after another and I don’t see any reason for any of them to be asked when we can explain it all by supposing that it had nothing to do with us.

MJBrutus on March 3, 2011 at 7:30 PM

points taken… however I don’t think Obama is stupid and thus I tend to see a plan in what others see as madness on his part.

Eygpt for example was an ally and Isreal would not be happen to see it go up in flames. As a sititng POTUs Obama could not be seen to be backing the uprising esp with the hands of the muslim brotherhood involved. So what to do….play dumb but wanr eygpt agains using force to give the protess time to bear fruit….play dumb waffle and as the protesters gain the upper hand slowly come out in favor of them…..

Lybia on the other hand was an enemy of the USA but their are ties to Obama and the lybian leader they appeared to be “friendly” So the uprisings happen and Obama does nothing hoping that Qaddifi can quickly surpress the uprisings…..he fails and the Obama must say something about it….he makes a bland statement not calling out the leader by name just deploring the bloodshed…..still hoping Qaddifi can get ahandle ver things and the entire thing can be swept under the rug……not until it is seen as impossible for Qaddifi to regain control and that Obama’s strategy is lost does he then come and finally throw him under the bus.

Notice also Obama has not said anything about Yeman, Barhain or Saudi Arabia………IMo those are ones he hopes succeeds…..He has also failed to say anything much about Iran…

I just see you getting father afield. Remember, this is a president who gets his foreign intel from James “London” Clapper! And yet you think he had secret knowledge of the Egyptian revolt? And that he failed to act, and then acted against his own supposed interests just to throw us all of the scent? And that he WANTS Islamists like the MB to assume power there?

And if it all has gotten pear-shaped enough you now say that you think he wants the Saudis to go TU?

Two years ago, we heard an unending series of tales of the evil-genius that was George W. Bush (alternating with tales of his utter stupidity) and we called it Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS). I’m sorry, but this is starting to sound an awful lot like ODS to me.

could be I just find it impssible that a POTUS who made the LAT withhold a video showing Obama at an anti-isreali event being the leader at a time of antiamerican/anti-jewish revolts sweeping across the middle east. That IMo is not a coincidence and then you simply hav eto connect the dots.

Yes it could all be one big coincidence but I don’t belive in coincidences or out of the blue revolu!tions. Just like the waves of revolu!ions in 1989 did not happen out of the blue…..

you also have to understand what got the people in the streets. rising food prices which just happens to be caused in large part to QE2 which has been done by whom?

There are two answers I think either Obama is one of the stupidest, most unengaed POTUS we have ever at, or things are happening to plan…..

I didn’t believe bush was stupid nor Clinton nor reagan….In fact I fail to believe anyone stupid can get eelcted to POTUS. It requires too much brains to win an election of that scope.

you look at the ME propasals all the way back to the 70′s of the liberals and it seems like those propasal’s are happening in front of our faces…..that is just one coincidence too far for me to believe…

I’m afraid that I’m just not very good at connecting dots. In fact, even with all that you’ve just told me, I cannot see the big picture that it seems is so clear to you. So please, help me out. What is PBHO’s grand plan for the ME? Who’s interest is he serving and what is he trying to achieve?

The time was August 1952. Over a period of four days, and operating on an emergency basis, USAF lifters picked up thousands of pilgrims stranded in Beirut and brought them to Jeddah, the Saudi Arabian gateway to Mecca

Not everyone was grateful. One dissatisfied traveler was the 1952 Hajj’s most prominent pilgrim—Ayatollah Sayed Abdul Ghassem Kashani, a Shiite Muslim cleric from Iran. In addition to providing religious leadership for the faithful in his nation, Kashani served as speaker of the Iranian Parliament.

Kashani, a Persian, saw in the airlift an opportunity to score a significant political point concerning the role of the West and the United States in Iran. As he was about to step aboard the American aircraft that was to transport him to Jeddah, Kashani stopped and began to speak. His statement, widely quoted in the region’s press, was that the West needed Iran’s oil far more than Iran needed the West’s money.

So was it worth it?

The Saudi monarch, King Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, presented 86 sets of traditional robes, keffiyehs, and royal headbands to those Americans taking part in the operation. Even virulently anti-American elements of the press found some kind things to say about the airlift.

No thanks. I lived in San Diego from 1980-2005. I regularly paid twenty cents more a gallon than LA did where the refineries are.

OmahaConservative on March 3, 2011 at 6:20 PM

Where in SD? I moved from there to Monterey in ’81, then back down in ’83 to go to USD. Stayed until ’89, then moved back North. Moved out to Baltimore in ’95 and been here since.

I miss a lot of things about California (especially San Diego), but the craziness I can do without. My aunt and uncle still live in Poway (just missed both big fires that ripped through a few years ago). They’re ultra-lunatic left. We have to keep our conversations very superficial or we get into huge arguments. I finally told her off on Facebook last year, and she’s basically refused to interact with me since.